Thursday, April 19, 2007

Cath Targetston

A very cute polka dot mug caught my eye while I was shopping at Target today and came home with me.The colors remind me a bit of my yarn selections for my afghan. Note to self: pick up some cherry red for the afghan. It will POP!I couldn't put my finger on it while I was at the store, but the mug also reminds me of something else I've been eyeing online:Cath Kidston's Dotty line. Compare the the Chelsea Dot collection from Target again:Quite similar, indeed. Target even pulled together coordinating florals and stripes a la Cath, although the Target florals are godawful, IMHO.I have mixed feelings about this. Discount stores are always trying to keep up with trends and make stylish items available to the masses. Besides, polka dots aren't exactly an innovative design. I certainly wish there were a Cath Kidston shop in Chicago and that the prices weren't so high. Cath Kidston isn't a huge name here in the US, and she doesn't have a huge industry behind her.

On the other hand, Target actually has made a deal with Rachel Ashwell to carry a lower-end version of her Shabby Chic line. This seems like a great AND responsible idea. The quality on the Simply Shabby Chic products is fairly high. There's also the Target/Isaac Mizrahi deal. Any thoughts?

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This is Kylie Cat's customary Sunday-morning pose while Paul and I sit at the table and read the paper (and drink plenty of coffee).

Doesn't that look tempting? Doesn't it look like she's just begging for you to pet her fluffy tummy? Appearances can be deceiving, because she most certainly is not. Once you put your hand nearby, she attacks with vigor. Crazy kitty.

See, I think Kylie is the real deal. I have a hard time with all the "stuff" and maybe that's because it's not convenient to shop so I don't. Just the same, I like "real deal" things. That's why I do the fibering that I do, but then I work in a library but order books online at least once a month or more often and maybe even today, so maybe I have enough dishes and would rather buy books and yarn. But I'm not a consumer, not!

I'm not even going to tell you how long I stood in front of those dishes the other day, willing myself not to buy them. If I hadn't totally just made a fuss on my blog about Target ripping off smal designers, I totally would have. Sigh. Remind me not to take public stands on things anymore ;)

My awesome seasonal swap package arrived today and I love it!!! Everything is so perfectly "me":):) Thank you so much:):) I have no stand on the Target issue as that's where my hubby works - he's been there for 16 years so I can't exacly bite the hand that feeds us:):):)

I do like the afghan colors that you have picked out.I definitely think that the going with signing up designers to do cheaper lines with Target is the ethical things for them to do. I think it can sometimes be a little tricky though. For example, the runway clothes are always ripped off by every store the next month, but in many ways it is not as obvious as ripping off particular fabric and dish patterns. I guess I try to avoid buying things if I have questions about them....but I also probably wouldn't have known about either the dishes or fabric issues if you and Ashley hadn't pointed them out.